U.S.A. Summer Camp ...and life in México

My name is Kieran Reade. I was a 19 year old student when I started this blog. I come from Birmingham, England. During the summer of 2013 I was working at a summer camp in Pennsylvania, US and an English school in Mexico City.

[theecstasyof]

Trek & Speak

Trek & Speak is my next project; continuing on from my theecstasyof travel blog. This project documents my (mis)adventures as I move to Mexico and travel the world.

I hope to see you over there!

[theecstasyof]

To Finish

Hi guys and gals, long time no see huh?

I nearly forgot all about this blog and I WAS meaning to finish it off but I never had the chance. At the bottom of this post I will put a link to my Pinterest page which serves host to all of and any of my photos you may or may not have seen.

I would have liked to finish this blog off, I really would of but between my studies and travels I am sad to say that I cannot.

This said, I hope you all had a fantastic time and enjoyed our journey together I know I certainly did! I hope you will all one day take on a work and travel adventure and experience first hand a dream come true.

Thank you for following.

http://www.pinterest.com/kieranreade/

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

This is why you should tip.

We left a load of different currency and when we returned our fresh towels were . . . dinosaurs!

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Terrifying!

This is a sign warning passers-by and tourists that the waters here are also home to crocodiles!

Luckily I didn't see any but secretly I was kind of hoping for it!

Below are two images showing the terrible reptiles in Cancun. Oh and if my family are reading this I got the images from Google. Don't worry I didn't take them!

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Chichen Itza

The second park we visited on our Cancun/Playa holiday.

Roughly translated Chichen Itza means "at the mouth of the well of the Itza". Itzá is the name of an ethnic-lineage group that gained political and economic dominance of the northern area.

Built by the Maya civilization these pyramids are located in the Mexican state of Yukatán.

It was breath-taking to say the least and I can now cross this off a very special list as Chichen Itza is also one of the new seven wonders of the world! How amazing is that! As it stand the seven wonders are:

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Great Wall, China

Petra, Jordan

Christ Redeemer, Brazil

Machi Picchu, Peru

Roman Collesseum, Italy

Taj Mahal, India

I hope you can appreciate the photos below, it was an unforgettable experience for me.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Quick update

Hi guys,

I want to let you all know that my flight back home is tomorrow. I want to summarize the experience but not right now I still have so much to talk about. This is just to inform you all that we are coming up to the end of my American experience.

Next stop Chichen Itza.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Possibly my favorite photo.

The impossible made possible, I was able to swim with dolphins! How incredible. The experience was breath-taking and I'll always cherish this photo.

I should say though, the experience was also a little scary. To have something this big swim around you is a very different feeling altogether. It was all worth it though.

Interesting point. On the dolphin you can see a cut on his lower jaw. That is because this dolphin and another have been tackling the gates to try and exit their pool. Smart animals, very, very smart.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Xel-Ha

One of three amazing parks I was lucky enough to visit this summer.

Xel-Ha is an aquatic theme park located in the state of Quintana Roo. As I have just described the park is water based and the scenery is breath-taking. Surrounded by nature, literally, the park is surrounded by think jungle and on the other side, the Caribbean sea.

Oh but here is something terrifying - safe but terrifying. There is a lagoon that is free for the people to swim in and believe me, the water is as warm as the sand so we were definitely going to swim in it. There is, however, a shark fence that guards the entrance of the lagoon. Now that's nice and safe but being a timid pale guy from England who's only encounter with 'crazy' wildlife is the family dog, knowing that sharks are swimming not thirty meters away was not an easy thing to get used to. I still shiver at the thought.

OK. I'm exaggerating with the above picture but still . . . who knows what was lurking those few meters away! The above is a stock image from Google by the way. If I had taken this picture I wouldn't be here right now.

Anyway, let us get onto a more positive topic . . .

I took part in a wide range of activities, some of which I would never dream of having the opportunity to do again. I was lucky enough to:

Swim in the inclusive lagoon

Visit the turtle sanctuary, which was amazing

Relax in the hammocks, a very cool experience

Enjoy free food and drink all day

SWIM WITH DOLPHINS!

SNORKEL ALONGSIDE A VARIETY OF CARIBBEAN FISH

SNORKEL IN THE UNDERGROUND CAVES - SCARY!

Take part in the water sport activities such as zip line and water rafting

Have an amazing summer experience

Can you believe it? Me of all people, lucky enough to experience the above! It was a dream come true and I'll always be thankful. What an amazing day.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Beautiful Playa del Carmen. My new favorite.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Playa del Carmen

A paradise.

Hello friends, family and a warm welcome to my most recent followers. I want to take a moment to type a little about the paradise resort Carlos and I visited before headed to Mexico City.

I think it is important to note the, well, importance of networking. If I had never met Carlos or if I we had never become such good friends then I would have never had the opportunity to visit or even know about Playa del Carmen. At least not until I had saved enough money along with thorough research and planning, y'know, all that adult stuff. It's becoming a daily thing but I'll say it again, I am blessed, blessed to have been given this amazing chance. It is what dreams are made of and honestly, it felt as if I were in the movies. What an incredible place.

Playa (which means beach in Spanish) is a place of relaxation, peace and time. Time to enjoy nature for what it is. I absolutely loved my time here and I only wish there was something more then photos to show you all how incredible this place really is. I miss it. I really do.

Located along the Caribbean Sea, the city is located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The city also hosts a station where travel to many of the nearby holiday parks is easily possible.

We (Carlos and I) had saved up enough to ensure that we could visit the nearby holiday parks and luckily we had the opportunity to visit three:

Xcaret

Xel-Ha

Chichen Itza

I'll go into further details of my travels to the above destinations later on.

I hope you all understand though. The week I had here is something I'll never forget and will always cherish.

I loved Playa del Carmen. I love Play del Carmen.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Back to Mexico

OK. Let's get this blog back on track.

I have documented my travels up to leaving the U.S.A. so next up are my travels back to Mexico. I want to thank you all for following me and keeping track of my experience this summer/fall.

As soon as I have posted this post then I'll start processing my photos from my holiday within a holiday; Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

I hope you are finding this blog interesting.

Find my photos here.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Goodbye U.S.A.

Onwards to Mexico (again)!

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

Well, that's it.

A fond farewell to a country that has done so much for me and although I am saying goodbye now I am confident that this will not be the last time that I visit the U.S.A.

A camp where I have made lasting friendships. A job that I will never forget, a summer of a lifetime and an traveling experience that I won't soon forget. I love America.

Now, let's get this blog back to Mexico!

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

A city in lights.

My final video of New York. This was taken from the Observation Deck on top of the Empire State Building.

It is remarkable how tall each building is and then the lights just make the city that much more magical. I'll miss it.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

I took a few videos of this fantastic place. I hope you're enjoying them.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

A similar video. I just can't get enough of this place.

K.R.

[theecstasyof]

America. Fantastic, amazing, magnificent and . . . just plain weird.

Caught this guy while shooting Times Square. He kind of freaks me out.

K.R.